Kolkata, Jan 22 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday sought a detailed report from the district magistrate-cum-district electoral officer of North Dinajpur district in West Bengal on the incident of tension and violence at a hearing centre in Itahar in the district earlier in the day.

The matter was brought to the notice of the Commission by the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, earlier on Thursday, after he posted a video of the violence at the Itahar hearing centre on social media.

He also tagged the Commission and the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, in the post.

In his social media post made earlier in the day, Adhikari also accused the West Bengal government of failing to provide security to officials engaged in SIR duty following the mob rampage which, according to him, was in direct defiance of a Supreme Court order earlier this week directing the state government to ensure a peaceful law and order situation at the hearing centres.

Earlier in the day, the Commission directed the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against Trinamool Congress legislator from the Farakka Assembly constituency in Murshidabad district, Manirul Islam, in relation to the ransacking of a hearing centre for claims and objections on the draft voters’ list in West Bengal on January 14.

“The Commission is taking every complaint of tension and violence very seriously and also directing prompt action in the matter,” said an insider from the CEO’s office.

Since the exercise for hearing claims and objections on the draft voters’ list in West Bengal started, there have been frequent incidents of tension and violence at hearing centres in different pockets of the state. In most cases, ruling Trinamool Congress leaders and supporters have been accused of carrying out the rampage.

–IANS

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